Ongoing since the mid-1930s, the Anchorage Fur Rendezvous – a.k.a. Fur Rondy – takes place in February of each year and for many years included the Fur Rondy Grand Prix, perhaps the only city street auto race to use snowbanks as safety berms. Presumably the sign strung across Fourth Street in today’s carspotting photo means that the photo was taken in the wintertime, though we see no snow on the streets or mountaintops, as we’d expect. Is the Fur Rondy just so big that it warrants a year-round street banner? And what do you see here?

Well, the Ford taxi on the right is a `54, so I take this to have been snapped around `54-`55? On the left at the curb, a filthy `50 Olds 98 sedan, `47-`48 Buick, the obvious `50 Pontiac cvt., and a `49 Chevy pickup. Nice for a color photo; at least we don’t have to guess at the car colors. Daniel, thanks for a photo without snow; I feel that much warmer!

First thing I thought of when I saw this, was how much of this street scene was left 9 years later, after the earthquake. Bet it changed a lot! And while there is no snow visible I’m guessing it was winter because of all the dirty cars. Watch Alaska State Troopers all the time and clean cars seem to be rare in Alaska except for those three or so days of summer. Have a friend who lived and worked in Alaska for the VA. She said Alaska DOES have 4 seasons.. Winter, and July 3rd, 4th, and 5th.

That’s the McKinley Building (now the McKinley Tower Apartments), built in 1950-51. It sat unoccupied for several years after the 1964 Good Friday quake, then became a state office building, became vacant again after the state moved out (couldn’t meet fire codes), and has recently been renovated back into apartments. It’s on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Inlet Tower Hotel on L Street between 12th and 13th looks just like it.

I agree that this is likely not a winter scene. Even though Anchorage has a relatively mild climate (compared to inland Alaska), this does not look at all cold or wintry. A Google image search of vintage downtown Anchorage pictures turned up a few more shots from the 50s with this sign, but no snow or indication of cold. And every vintage picture of the actual Rendezvous showed a very snowy downtown.

My guess is that this sign stayed up year round, or at least, was put up well before winter began.

On a related note, I see the street shown is 4th. Weren’t the first 3 streets destroyed in the `64 earthquake? I thought Anchorage’s ‘oceanfront’ street was now 4th. Anyone know? Ive never been up there.

My third-grade teacher was in Anchorage during the ‘quake. She had slipped on a patch of ice and severely broken her arm the day before. She was in the hospital having surgery when it hit. She showed us photos that her husband took of the broken streets and buildings. One photo in particular that I remember showed a 1959 Chevy sedan caught on a piece of the street that had dropped several feet in relation to where her husband had stood to take the photo.

Isn’t the Olds a ’51? Also the large building in the background is still there, way down 4th Avenue. It’s one of those “depth of field” things that often happens with these old photos. I think it is a municipal building of some kind.

I dont recall any personal cars of the 3 boys; Fred McMurray always drove a Bonneville Safari. You could tell the production yr. of the episode by the year of Dad’s car. Just like on Leave it to Beaver, The FBI, Perry Mason, etc.

The building is the McKay building, unless I am mistaken. If correct, then this is a look east down 5th Ave. A lot of things have changed, as 5th is now one way to the west. Big clue for me is Hewitt’s Drugs, on the corner of 5th and E St., unless they moved after the earthquake. I was born in Anchorage in ’56, so this is a bit before my time!

We are looking east, if you look close you can barely see some, “termination dust”, on the Chugach mts. It looks like a 5:00 pm photo in late Sept. The 515 is gone now. During the “Rondy” it was the place go for native people. Met some fine folks there, I live a block over on 3rd. Home sweet home.
A fun photo.